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Biomedical subjects

M Washio

Publications and source records attributed to M Washio.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

Undue concern for others' opinions deters caregivers of impaired elderly from using public services in rural Japan.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether opinions of others may discourage the use of public services for the elderly. DESIGN: Users and non-users were compared regarding several variables including caregivers' concerns about opinions of others. SETTING: Matsuyama Town, located in a rural area of northern Japan. SUBJECTS: Seventy pairs of (1) elderly persons in need of care assessed by the procedure employed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and (2) their respective family caregivers. MEASURES: Cognitive function (Hasegawa Dementia Rating Scale), diagnosis of dementia, activities of daily living (ADL: Barthel Index), caregivers' burden (Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview), behavioral disturbances (Dementia Behavioural Disturbance Scale), caregiver interviews. RESULTS: A logistic regression analysis revealed that those who looked after the elderly with severe dependency in ADL were three times more likely to use public services (OR = 3.33, 95% CI = 1.02 - 10.88, p = 0.04). Those concerned about what others think or say were less likely to use public services (OR = 0.22, 95% CI = 0.06 - 0.78, p = 0.01) than those who did not. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers' undue concern for the opinions of others apparently deterred them from using public services. The overriding notion of care for the elderly as a family duty is still prevalent in rural Japan. It would be useful for the government to launch a public awareness programme to help caregivers understand the benefits of services available for the elderly.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Job strain, Type A behavior pattern, and the prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis in Japanese working men.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relation of type A behavior pattern and job strain to angiographically documented coronary stenosis. METHODS: Subjects were 197 male Japanese patients with a full-time job. A questionnaire-based interview elicited psychosocial and other factors. Type A behavior pattern was measured by 12 questions, and job strain by the method of Karasek. Significant coronary stenosis was defined when a 75% or greater luminal narrowing occurred at one or more major coronary arteries or when a 50% or greater narrowing occurred at the left main artery. Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) with adjustment for traditional coronary risk factors and job type. RESULTS: Type A behavior pattern was related to a statistically non-significant lower prevalence of the coronary stenosis especially in the absence of job strain (adjusted OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.3-1.2). Job strain was non-significantly associated with a modestly increased prevalence of coronary stenosis (OR 1.7, 95% CI 0.6-5.2). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that both the behavioral pattern and psychosocial work environment may be related to coronary artery stenosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Relation between green tea consumption and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis among Japanese men and women.

PURPOSE: To examine the relation between green tea consumption and arteriographically determined coronary atherosclerosis. METHODS: Study subjects were 512 patients (302 men and 210 women) aged 30 years or older who underwent coronary arteriography for the first time at four hospitals in Fukuoka City or one hospital in an adjacent city between September 1996 and August 1997. Lifestyle characteristics including green tea consumption were ascertained before arteriography by a questionnaire supported with interview. RESULTS: 117 men (38.7%) and 50 women (23.8%) had significant stenosis of one or more coronary arteries. Green tea consumption tended to be inversely associated with coronary atherosclerosis in men, but not in women. An evident, protective association between green tea and coronary atherosclerosis was observed in a subgroup of 262 men excluding those under dietary or drug treatment for diabetes mellitus. In this subgroup, after adjustment for traditional coronary risk factors and coffee, odds ratios of significant stenosis for consumption of 2-3 cups and 4 or more cups per day were 0.5 (95% confidence interval 0.2-1.2) and 0.4 (0.2-0.9), respectively, as compared with a consumption of one cup per day or less. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that green tea may be protective against coronary atherosclerosis at least in men.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Pamlin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SUp62 protein in primary mesenchyme cells during early embryogenesis in the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus.

Ingression of primary mesenchyme cells (PMC) is associated with the encounter of basal lamina including pamlin. It was found that sea urchin embryos have a protein that binds antihuman focal adhesion kinase (FAK) antibodies, yet it has a 62 kDa homo-dimeric structure. Thus, this protein was distinctive from known FAK, and was named SUp62. In mesenchyme blastulae, one of the subunits increased its apparent molecular mass slightly but distinctively, then restored the original molecular mass in early gastrulae. This temporal and stage-specific shifting of the molecular mass was associated with the occurrence of tyrosine phosphorylation of a subunit that did not increase the apparent molecular mass. Herbimycin A induced the hyperphosphorylation of tyrosine residues of SUp62, and inhibited the occurrence of molecular mass shifting. Immunohistochemistry showed a strong positive signal of SUp62 and phosphotyrosine in PMC. Herbimycin A also severely but reversibly inhibited PMC dissociation, migration and gastrulation. Tyrosine phosphorylation of SUp62 was induced when PMC were incubated with pamlin in vitro, and it was initiated within 10 min after onset of the incubation. It reached its peak in 1 h, and declined gradually in the next 1 h, indicating that pamlin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SUp62 occurs closely associated with acquiring PMC migration activity.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Factors associated with admission to a geriatric hospital in semisuburban southern Japan.

A case-control study was conducted to evaluate the factors associated with admission to a geriatric hospital. Case studied were 13 Japanese elderly who were admitted to a geriatric hospital because their female caregivers had found it impossible to look after them at home. We used 35 pairs of elderly and female caregivers, who were receiving domiciliary visits by nurses, in the catchment area of the hospital. The present study revealed that elderly with dementia (vs without; Odds ratio = 6.69) and with moderately limited activities of daily living (Barthel Index 61 +) (vs severely limited activities of daily living: Barthel Index 0-60; Odds ratio = 6.62), caregivers being a daughter-in-law (vs other kinship; Odds ratio = 6.30), were risk factors.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2000

Depression among caregivers of the frail elderly in urban Japan.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in order to investigate the various factors related to the depression in caregivers of the elderly in need of care in urban Japan. The caregivers answered a self-administered questionnaire about various factors that may affect their depression, and also completed a Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale evaluation (CES-D). Compared with non-depressed caregivers, depressed caregivers attended the elderly longer, while time spent for physical caregiving did not differ between the two groups. Even after controlling confounding factors, time of attending the elderly was an independent factor related to caregiver's depression.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Expression and secretion of scytalidopepsin B, an acid protease from Scytalidium lignicolum, in yeast.

An expression and secretion system for scytalidopepsin B, an acid protease from Scytalidium lignicolum, was constructed in yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae AH22 was transformed with an yeast-E. coli shuttle vector, pAM82, in which an yeast invertase signal segment and the cDNA encoding the pro- and mature enzyme regions were inserted. The transformant was found to secret a pepstatin-insensitive acid protease, when cultured aerobically in a low phosphate (Pi) medium. Amino terminal amino acid sequencing analysis indicated that the recombinant acid protease was accurately processed and secreted as a mature form.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1999

Depression among caregivers of the disabled elderly in southern Japan.

The present study was conducted in an attempt to investigate factors related to depression of caregivers who looked after the disabled elderly residing in a community in southern Japan. A questionnaire survey was carried out of 45 pairs of caregivers and the disabled elderly who received regular visits from a practice nurse, who was located in Onga County, Fukuoka, in southern Japan. Twenty-four out of 45 caregivers (53.3%) scored above the conventional cut-off of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The proportion of children-in-law caregivers was significantly smaller (0% vs. 23.8%, P = 0.01) and the proportion of caregivers who had consulted a physician within 1 month prior to the study was greater in the depressed than that in the non-depressed (79.2% vs. 47.6%, P = 0.03). The elderly whose caregivers were depressed (group 1) had more behavioural disturbances than those of the non-depressed caregivers (group 2) (1.92+/-2.38 vs. 0.52+/-0.87, P = 0.01) A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that only behavioural disturbance was positively related to depression (Odds ratio: 4.29, 95% confidence interval: 1.28-14.37). More behavioural disturbances led the caregivers to depression or the depressed caregivers failed to take care of the elderly, which resulted in an increase in the number of the behavioural disturbances of the elderly.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1999

[International comparison of occupational health related laws and occupational health systems on ethics].

We compared occupational health related laws and occupational health systems on ethics in Germany, France, USA, UK, and Japan, and reviewed them. The duties of appointment of occupational physicians, competence of occupational physicians, responsibility for maintaining the confidentiality of the medical records, professional independence of occupational physicians, employment and dismissal of occupational physicians, etc. were discussed. Concerning maintaining the medical privacy of workers, the Japanese law and system are thought to be different from those of other countries. Concerning the professional independence of occupational physicians, the Japanese law does not have this point of view. We hope that Japanese occupational physicians express their opinions on these issues.

Ethics, Medical↗
PubMed1998

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolation from pharyngeal swab cultures among the Japanese elderly at admission to a geriatric hospital.

The isolation rate of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from pharyngeal swab cultures in the Japanese elderly was studied at admission to a geriatric hospital which had long-term care units. The subjects were 233 consecutive patients who were admitted to K Hospital in the time period April 1994 to March 1996. The isolation rate of MRSA and of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 10.3% and 8.2% respectively. The proportions of the patients with severely to moderately limited Activities of Daily Living (ADL) (ADL score = 0-1) (P < 0.01), those with fever (P < 0.01), those with CRP positive (P = 0.04) and those with hypoalbuminemia (serum albumin < 3.5 g/dl) (P < 0.01) were higher in the MRSA positive patients than in the negative patients while the proportion of the patients with fever was higher in the Pseudomonas aeruginosa positive patients than in the negative patients (P < 0.02). In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the limitation of ADL (ADL score 0-1 vs 2-3, OR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.02-2.33) and fever (with vs without, OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.18-2.66) remained as risk factors for the isolation of MRSA while only fever (with vs without, OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.11-2.53) remained as a risk factor for the isolation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1998

Depression among caregivers of the elderly in need of care and their service utilization: a pilot study.

Twenty-four community residing elderly people in need of care, who were registered with the municipal welfare center in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, and their principal caregivers participated in the study. The principal caregivers completed a self-administered questionnaire involving their demographic status, provided data on their utilization of formal services and completed the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The health visitors examined the activities of daily living (ADL) and mental status of these 24 elderly individuals. More than half the caregivers appeared to be depressed. The non-depressed caregivers used significantly more services than the depressed caregivers even after the caregivers' age was statistically controlled.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

[Blood-borne viral infection in hemodialysis units: special reference to hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1].

Hemodialysis patients are one of the high risk groups for blood-borne viral infection due to their need of blood transfusions for renal anemia. In addition, the hemodialysis procedure itself is a risk factor for blood-borne viral infection. Therefore, prevention of blood-borne infection in hemodialysis units is highly important. I would like to introduce our previous studies on hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 infection in hemodialysis units in Fukuoka, Japan. In these studies, both anti-HCV positive rates and anti-HTLV 1 positive rates were significantly higher in patients having received blood transfusion than those not having received, and increased with the duration of hemodialysis therapy. In contrast, the positive rate of HBs-antigen did not differ with experiencing or not experiencing blood transfusion, nor did it increase with the duration of hemodialysis therapy. These findings suggest that infectious control of hepatitis B virus such as isolation of carriers and screening of blood donors may be effective for the prevention of blood-borne viral infection among hemodialysis patients.

HTLV-I Infections↗
PubMed1997

Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection in a Japanese geriatric hospital.

A case control study on MRSA infection was carried out, with the purpose of evaluating the effect of age, gender, hypoalbuminemia, the limitation of activities of daily living (ADL), the administration of antibiotics and the use of the new cephems which include third generation cephalosporins and monobactam and carbapenems, on the occurrence of MRSA infection among the inpatients in a geriatric hospital. From April 1991 to March 1994, 285 patients underwent a bacterial culture in the various clinical aspects. 118 patients were positive for MRSA, who were then used as cases while 167 patients who were negative for MRSA were used as controls. The level of serum albumin and the ADL score were lower in the MRSA group than in the non-MRSA group (P < 0.01) while the number of antibiotics administered before bacterial culture was greater in the MRSA group than in the non-MRSA group (P < 0.01). The third generation cephems were more commonly used in the MRSA positive patients than the negative patients (P < 0.01). Even after controlling for the other factors, hypoalbuminemia (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.27-2.36), the limited ADL (partially limited vs without limitation: OR = 1.88, 95% CI = 1.19-2.96, completely limited vs without limitation: OR = 2.50, 95% CI = 1.64-3.82), the use of antibiotics other than the third generation cephems (vs without antibiotics: OR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.20-2.50) and the administration of the third generation cephems (vs without antibiotics: OR = 3.12, 95% CI = 2.16-4.50) increased the risk of MRSA infection.

Aged↗